Gas tube, gas supply system and manufacturing method of semiconductor device using the same

ABSTRACT

A gas tube, a gas supply system containing the same and a semiconductor manufacturing method using the same are provided. The gas tube includes a porous material body and a resistant sheath surrounding the porous material body. The porous material body has a hollow tube structure and an empty cavity inside the hollow tube structure. The porous material body is hydrophobic and has a plurality of pores therein. The resistant sheath is disposed on the porous material body and surrounds the porous material body. The resistant sheath includes a plurality of holes penetrating through the resistant sheath.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the priority benefits of U.S. provisionalapplication Ser. No. 62/584,912, filed on Nov. 13, 2017. The entirety ofthe above-mentioned patent application is hereby incorporated byreference herein and made a part of this specification.

BACKGROUND

Semiconductor manufacturing processes quite often employ immersion orchemical bath for cleaning, wet etching or even stripping operations.Gas supply element or apparatus for supplying gas or air into theimmersion bath or chemical bath plays an important role and often hassignificant impact on the processing results.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Aspects of the present disclosure are best understood from the followingdetailed description when read with the accompanying figures. It isnoted that, in accordance with the standard practice in the industry,various features are not drawn to scale. In fact, the dimensions of thevarious features may be arbitrarily increased or reduced for clarity ofdiscussion.

FIG. 1 is a schematic three-dimensional view illustrating a portion ofthe gas supply element according to some exemplary embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 2A is a schematic explosive view illustrating a gas supply tubeaccording to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2B is a schematic three-dimensional view illustrating a gas supplytube according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view illustrating a portion of the gas supplyelement according to some exemplary embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing the relative connection relationshipsof a gas supply system and a semiconductor processing system accordingto some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5A to FIG. 5D are schematic cross sectional views of various stagesin a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device according to someexemplary embodiments.

FIG. 6 is the flow chart showing the process steps of the manufacturingmethod of a semiconductor device according to some exemplaryembodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following disclosure provides many different embodiments, orexamples, for implementing different features of the provided subjectmatter. Specific examples of components and arrangements are describedbelow to simplify the present disclosure. These are, of course, merelyexamples and are not intended to be limiting. For example, the formationof a first feature over or on a second feature in the description thatfollows may include embodiments in which the first and second featuresare formed in direct contact, and may also include embodiments in whichadditional features may be formed between the first and second features,such that the first and second features may not be in direct contact. Inaddition, the present disclosure may repeat reference numerals and/orletters in the various examples. This repetition is for the purpose ofsimplicity and clarity and does not in itself dictate a relationshipbetween the various embodiments and/or configurations discussed.

Further, spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,” “lower,”“above,” “upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease ofdescription to describe one element or feature's relationship to anotherelement(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. The spatiallyrelative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of thedevice in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted inthe figures. The apparatus may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degreesor at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors usedherein may likewise be interpreted accordingly.

FIG. 1 is a schematic three-dimensional view illustrating a portion ofthe gas supply element according to some exemplary embodiments of thepresent disclosure. FIG. 2A is a schematic explosive view illustrating agas supply tube according to some exemplary embodiments of the presentdisclosure. FIG. 2B is a schematic three-dimensional view illustrating agas supply tube according to some exemplary embodiments of the presentdisclosure. FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing the relative connectionrelationships of a gas supply system and a semiconductor processingsystem, showing wafers to be processes in a semiconductor manufacturingprocess according to some exemplary embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 4, in some embodiments, a gas supplyelement 100 includes at least a cylindrical gas tube 110 and at leastone connector 120 connected to one end 110A of the gas tube 110. In someembodiments, the other end 110B of the gas tube 110 may be a closed end.In other embodiments, the other end 110B of the gas tube 110 may befurther connected other gas tubes through one or more connectors. Inexemplary embodiments, the gas supply element 100 may be part of a gassupply system 10 for semiconductor manufacturing processes. In someembodiments, the gas supply system 10 further includes an air or gassupply source 102, a valve 104 and one or more pipes 130 connectingbetween the gas tube 110 and the gas supply source 102. In exemplaryembodiments, the gas supply tube 102 includes a gas bottle, a gas tankor an air cylinder. In exemplary embodiments, the valve 104 controls theswitch (the on/off) and the flow rate of the gas or air. In certainembodiments, the gas supply system 10 is included as a part of asemiconductor processing system 40, and the semiconductor processingsystem 40 includes at least an immersion tank 402. In FIG. 4, one ormore gas tubes may be arranged within the immersion tank 402 but onlyone gas tube 110 is shown for simplification, and the gas tube 110 maybe provided at one side of the immersion tank 402 or midway of twoopposite sides of the immersion tank 402. It is understood that morethan one gas tube may be provided at two opposite sides of the immersiontank 402 or even arranged along four sides of the rectangular tankaccording to the reaction needs or processing requirements. Althoughonly one immersion tank 402 is shown herein, in some embodiments, thesemiconductor processing system 40 includes a plurality of immersiontanks. In FIG. 4, the gas supply system 10 arranged within the bath tank402 of the semiconductor processing system 40 is disposed above and overthe to-be-processed wafers according to some exemplary embodiments ofthe present disclosure. In some embodiments, the immersion tank 402includes a cleaning tank for performing a wafer cleaning process or forsurface preparation. In some embodiments, the cleaning tank includesdeionized water or a cleaning solution. In some embodiments, theimmersion tank 402 includes a chemical bath tank for wet etchingprocesses. In some embodiments, the chemical bath tank includes anetching solution or a chemical solution including an acid, an organicand/or a base. As shown in FIG. 4, in certain embodiments, the wafers 50are immersed within the water or solution 404 in the immersion tank 402.It is appreciated that the ingredients or types of the solution 404 maybe adjusted or selected depending on the desirable processing conditionsof the semiconductor manufacturing process for the wafer or package tobe processed. In some embodiments, the gas tube 110 is connected to thegas pipe 130 through the connector 120, and the pipe 130 is furtherconnected with the valve 104 and the gas supply source 102. In someembodiments, the connector 120 may be selected from tee connectors,elbow connectors, cross connectors or connectors of any suitable shapes.In exemplary embodiments, in FIG. 4, the connector 120 is connected tothe end 110A of the gas tube 110, while the other end 110B of the gastube 110 is a closed end. In certain embodiments, the connector 120 maybe fastened or threaded with the gas tube 110. In some embodiments, thegas tube 110 and the connector 120 may be connected through tightfitting mechanism, such as compression fitting, flare fitting, flangefitting or the like.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view illustrating a portion of the gas supplyelement according to some exemplary embodiments of the presentdisclosure. Referring to FIG. 3, in some embodiments, the gas supplyelement 100′ includes a plurality of gas tubes 110 (including four gastubes 1101-1104 shown in FIG. 3) and connectors 120 respectivelyconnected to two opposite ends 110A, 110B of the gas tubes 110. In someembodiments, in FIG. 3, the ends 1101A, 1102A of the gas tubes 1101,1102 are connected with connectors 120A, and are further connected withthe gas supply source. In exemplary embodiments, the other ends 1101B,1102B (opposite ends relative to the gas entering ends 1101A, 1102A) ofthe gas tubes 1101, 1102 are respectively connected with the other gastubes 1103, 1104 through connectors 120B, and the other gas tubes 1103,1104 are connected to each other through the connectors 120B. In someembodiments, the gas tubes 1101, 1102, 1103, 1104 (gas tubes 110) areserially connected and interconnected with the adjacent ones. In certainembodiments, the gas enters into the gas tubes 110 from the connectors120A and flows out off from the gas tubes 110 into the surroundingenvironment (e.g. the tank) through the holes (the arrows showing theflow direction of the gas). In some embodiments, the connectors 120A,120B may be tee connectors, elbow connectors, cross connectors orconnectors of any suitable shapes. In some embodiments, the connectors120A, 120B are different types of connectors. In certain embodiments,the connectors 120A, 120B may be fastened or threaded with the gas tubes110. In some embodiments, the gas tubes 110 and the connectors 120A,120B may be connected through tight fitting mechanism, such ascompression fitting, flare fitting, flange fitting or the like.

In some embodiments, in FIG. 1 to FIG. 2B, the gas tube 110 furtherincludes a porous material body 114 and a resistant sheath 116 coveringthe porous material body 114. In some embodiments, the porous materialbody 114 has a cylindrical hollow tube structure having an empty cavityHT located on the inside. In some embodiments, the tube-shaped structureof the porous material body 114 is rigid enough to maintain its shapeand the porous material body 114 itself functions as a supportive bulkfor sustaining the gas pressure and supporting the resistant sheath 116.In some embodiments, the resistant sheath 116 has a cylindrical hollowtube structure having an empty cavity HT extending along a longitudinaldirection of the hollow tube structure. In some embodiments, theresistant sheath 116 is located on the outer surface 114 a of the porousmaterial body 114 and directly contacts the porous material body 114,and surrounds the tube-shaped structure of the porous material body 114.In some embodiments, the porous material body 114 is at least tightlyfitted within the resistant sheath 116. In certain embodiments, theporous material body 114 and the resistant sheath 116 surrounding theporous material body 114 are arranged concentrically. In someembodiments, the resistant sheath 116 is jointed or attached with theporous material body 114. In certain embodiments, the resistant sheath116 is a cylindrical shell or sleeve and the tube-shaped structure ofthe resistant sheath 116 fully covers the outer surface 114 a of theporous material body 114. In some embodiments, the hollow cavity HTlocated in the midst of the porous material body 114 has a diameterranging from 3˜10 millimeters.

In alternative embodiments, a support tube having a cylindrical hollowtube structure may be further included within the cavity of the hollowporous material body 114. In some embodiments, the support tube may havemore than one open slits on its tube wall for the gas penetratingthrough the tube wall in the thickness direction of the tube.

In some embodiments, the porous material body 114 is made of a highlyporous material and has a plurality of pores that are so tiny and nakedeye invisible. In certain embodiments, the tiny pores has a size rangingfrom 0.1-3 microns, the porosity (referring to the percent open area) ofthe tiny pores in the porous material is at least 50% or ranging from50% to 75%. That is, the pores (in total) takes at least 50% v/v orabout 50˜75% v/v of the total volume of the porous material, while thenon-pore proportion of the porous material takes about 25˜50% v/v of thetotal volume of the porous material. In some embodiments, the porousmaterial of the porous material body 114 is inert to most aggressivesolvents, including strong acids and bases. That is, the porous materialbody 114 includes at least one material resistant to the acidic pHenvironment and/or alkaline pH environment (i.e. acid and base resistantmaterial). In certain embodiments, the material of the porous materialbody 114 is hydrophobic. In certain embodiments, depending on thehydrophobicity of the porous material, the pore size of the porousmaterial body 114 is chosen to be small enough to prevent liquid orchemicals from entering into the body or tube. In some embodiments,because of the hydrophobic porous material body 114, water or liquidsare kept from entering into the cavity to prevent the gas tube frombeing clogged with water or liquid. In some embodiments, owing to thehydrophobicity of the porous material body 114, the gas tube is notclogged as the liquid or water will not flow into the tube, and the gasor air passing through the porous material body 114 evenly goes throughthe porous material body 114 and is released through the resistantsheath 116. For example, the pore size of the porous material body 114may be adjusted along with the thickness of the porous material body 114for controlling the air or gas flow rate. In some embodiments, uniformgas distribution and continuous and unceasing gas flow may be achievedby appropriately choosing the pore size of the porous material body 114along with the thickness of the porous material body 114. In certainembodiments, the material of the porous material body 114 is hightemperature stable, such as stable at the temperatures over 120 degreesCelsius, over 150 degrees Celsius, or stable at the temperatures of100˜250 degrees Celsius. In certain embodiments, the material of theporous material body 114 includes polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). PTFEis a high heat resistance hydrophobic fluoropolymer oftetrafluoroethylene. For a hydrophobic material or a hydrophobic surfaceof a material or an object, the water contact angle is in general largerthan 90°. In some embodiments, in FIG. 2A, the porous material body 114has a thickness t, and the thickness t may be adjusted based on the flowrate of the air or gas. In one embodiment, the thickness t of the porousmaterial body 114 ranges from about 3-8 millimeters.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, the resistantsheath 116 includes a plurality of holes 117 penetrating through theresistant sheath 116 (i.e. extending from the inner surface to the outersurface of the sheath 116). In some embodiments, the holes 117 are openholes (penetrating through the sheath along the thickness direction) andare substantially round shaped or elliptical holes having a hole size(i.e. maximum diameter) of about 0.8˜1.0 millimeters. In certainembodiments, the holes 117 are individual holes arranged side by sideand are arranged with a pitch p (i.e. separated by a distance) betweenone another, and the pitch p ranges from about 1-50 millimeters. In someembodiments, the holes 117 are separate from one another and arearranged next to each other with the uniform pitch p as shown in FIG. 2A& FIG. 2B. In accordance with the embodiments, the pitch p can bemodified based on product design or the number of the holes 117. Inalternative embodiments, holes of different sizes may be arranged withdifferent pitches. In certain embodiments, the holes 117 may be arrangedas one row, two rows or more rows extending along the longitudinaldirection of the tube structure of the resistant sheath 116. Dependingon the setup of the gas supply system, the holes 117 are disposed on thetop portion or the upper portion 1162 (the facing up portion) of theresistant sheath 116. In alternative embodiments, the holes 117 arearranged as two rows arranged on two opposite sides of the tubularstructure of the resistant sheath 116. In certain embodiments, theresistant sheath 116 protects the porous material body 114 and helpscontrol the direction of the release gas and uniform distribution of thegas. In certain embodiments, by arranging the holes 117 on the topportion or the upper portion 1162 of the resistant sheath 116, thefloating effect of the gas tube 110 is alleviated. In some embodiments,the material of the resistant sheath 116 includes at least one materialresistant to the acidic pH environment and/or alkaline pH environment(i.e. one acid and base resistant material). In certain embodiments, thematerial of the resistant sheath 116 may be hydrophobic. In certainembodiments, the material of the resistant sheath 116 is able to endurehigh temperatures, such as stable at the temperatures over 120 degreesCelsius, over 150 degrees Celsius, or stable at the temperatures of100˜250 degrees Celsius. In certain embodiments, the material of theresistant sheath 116 includes polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF). PVDF is ahighly non-reactive thermoplastic fluoropolymer resistant to most acidsand bases. In some embodiments, the resistant sheath 116 has a thicknessranging from about 1-2 millimeters.

In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 4, when the gas or air issupplied from the gas supply source 102, then supplied to the gaspipe(s) 130 through the valve 104. The gas or air is blown into the gassupply element 100 (into the gas tube 110) and then ejected from theholes 117 of the gas tube 110, and then released out into the solution404 in the tank 402. In certain embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2A andFIG. 2B, the gas or air that is supplied into the inside the space(empty cavity) HT of the porous material body 114 (gas flow direction isshown as the arrow) flows outward through the tiny pores of the porousmaterial body 114, reaches the resistant sheath 116, then further flowsthrough the resistant sheath 116 and is then released through the holes117 into the outer environment. For example, when the gas tube 110 isimmersed in the bath tank, the air or gas may be supplied into the gastube 110 and flow out of the gas tube 110 as bubbles into the bath. Insome embodiments, the flow rate of the outward-flowing released air orgas (i.e. the released bubbles) may be controlled by tuning the numberof holes, the hole size of the resistant sheath 116, the pitch p betweenthe holes 117 and the thickness t of the porous material body 114. Insome embodiments, the flow direction of the outward flowing air or gas(i.e. the released bubbles) may be controlled by adjusting the number,the size or the arrangement of the holes 117 in the resistant sheath116. In some embodiments, the flow rate of the release air or gasreleased from the gas tube 110 may range from about 2.0 liters/minute toabout 10.0 liters/minute or from about 3.0 liters/minute to about 8.0liters/minute. It is understood that the flow rate of the release air orgas may be adjusted based on the processing needs or the reactionconditions for the semiconductor manufacturing processes. As seen inFIG. 4, in some exemplary embodiments, the gas supply element 100 isplaced within the immersion tank 402 and located in the lower part ofthe immersion tank 402, while a batch of the wafers 50 is immersed inthe solution 404 within the immersion tank 402 and placed above the gastube 110. In certain embodiments, the gas or bubbles released from thegas tube 110 moves upward and toward the wafers 50. During the bath, theunvarying and constant concentration of the solution in the immersiontank is critical for uniform reaction or steady removal or cleaning ofthe residues on the wafers. In some embodiments, by releasing thebubbles into the solution 404, the solution 404 is agitated and wellmixed so that the concentration of the solution 404 in the immersiontank is almost constant. By doing so, the wafers 50 immersed in theimmersion tank 402 is exposed to the well-mixed solution 404 and isglobally processed consistently and evenly.

FIG. 5A to FIG. 5D are schematic cross sectional views of various stagesin a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device according to someexemplary embodiments. FIG. 6 is the flow chart showing the processsteps of the manufacturing method of a semiconductor device according tosome exemplary embodiments. In exemplary embodiments, the semiconductormanufacturing method is part of wafer-level semiconductor manufacturingprocesses. In exemplary embodiments, the semiconductor manufacturingmethod is part of semiconductor packaging processes. In someembodiments, one wafer is shown to represent a batch of wafers or pluralbatches of wafers obtained following the semiconductor manufacturingmethod.

Referring to FIG. 5A, according to some embodiments, in Step S50, asemiconductor wafer 50 is provided. In some embodiments, thesemiconductor wafer is a silicon bulk wafer, a silicon on insulator(SOI) wafer or a gallium arsenide wafer. In certain embodiments, thesemiconductor wafer 50 has at least one semiconductor device 500 formedin the active area of a silicon substrate 502. In some embodiments, thesemiconductor device 500 is, for example, a metal-oxide semiconductor(MOS) transistor comprising a gate electrode 504, a gate dielectriclayer 506 under the gate electrode 504, and source/drain regions 508 onboth sides of the gate electrode 504. In some embodiments, thesemiconductor wafer 50 further includes a plurality of insulating layers511, 512, 513 and 514 stacked over the semiconductor device 500 and thesilicon substrate 502 and dielectric layers 521, 522 formed on theinsulating layer 514. In addition, some residues 530 are present on thetopmost dielectric layer 522. In some embodiments, the residues 530includes polymer residues. In some embodiments, the residues 530includes metallic particles.

Referring to FIG. 5B, according to some embodiments, in Step S52, apre-cleaning process is performed to the semiconductor wafer 50. Incertain embodiments, the pre-cleaning process includes placing thesemiconductor wafer 50 into a cleaning tank CT1 and immersing thesemiconductor wafer 50 into the cleaning solution CS1 hold within thecleaning tank CT1. In certain embodiments, the residues 530 are removedduring the pre-cleaning process and a clean wafer surface 50 a isprepared. In some embodiments, the pre-cleaning process includessupplying a first gas into the cleaning solution CS1, and the cleaningtank CT1 is equipped with a gas tube GT1 to supply the first gas. Insome embodiments, the first gas may be a clean dried air, a nitrogen gasor a carbon dioxide gas. In some embodiments, the pre-cleaning processfurther includes a deionized water rinsing step.

In some embodiments, the pre-cleaning process basically has goodselectivity in removing the residues 530 without damaging the underlyinglayers. In some embodiments, the cleaning solution CS1 may be a mixtureof a diluted hydrogen peroxide solution and an acidic solution (such asa sulfuric acid solution or a hydrochloric acid solution. For example,the sulfuric acid solution can be a 96 wt. % H₂SO₄ solution and thediluted hydrogen peroxide solution can be a 30-35 wt. % H₂O₂ solution.As described herein, the weight percentage of sulfuric acid or hydrogenperoxide in the sulfuric acid solution or diluted hydrogen peroxidesolution is merely based on the concentrations of commercially availableproducts used in the industry, but the scope of this disclosure shallnot be limited by these descriptions.

Referring to FIG. 5C, according to some embodiments, in Step S54, a maskpattern 540 is formed on the clean wafer surface 50 a, and then a wetetching process is performed to the semiconductor wafer 50 after theformation of the mask pattern 540. In some embodiments, the dielectriclayers 521, 522 are etched using the mask pattern 540 as the etchingmask. In certain embodiments, the wet etching process includes placingthe wafer 50 with the mask pattern 540 into an etching tank ET andimmersing the semiconductor wafer 50 into the etching solution ES holdwithin the etching tank ET. In certain embodiments, the dielectriclayers 521, 522 are etched and patterned into the patterned dielectriclayers 521 a, 522 a by the wet etching process and openings S are formedwithin the patterned dielectric layers 521 a, 522 a. In someembodiments, the etching process includes optionally supplying a secondgas into the etching solution ES, and the etching tank ET is equippedwith a gas tube GT2 to supply the second gas. In some embodiments, thesecond gas may be an inert gas, a clean dried air, a nitrogen gas or acarbon dioxide gas. In alternative embodiments, the etching process doesnot include supplying a gas or air into the etching solution ES.

In some embodiments, the wet etching process basically has goodselectivity in removing the dielectric layers 521, 522 without damagingthe underlying insulating layers. In some embodiments, the etchingsolution ES may be a mixture of a buffering agent and an acidicsolution. In some embodiments, the buffering agent solution is a 49 wt.% ammonium fluoride (NH₄F) solution, and the acidic solution is a 49 wt.% hydrofluoric acid (HF) solution. Optionally, hydrochloric acid may beincluded. In some embodiments, the materials of the dielectric layers521, 522 include silicon dioxide or silicon nitride.

Referring to FIG. 5D, according to some embodiments, in Step S56, apost-cleaning process is performed to the processed semiconductor wafer50. In certain embodiments, the post-cleaning process includes placingthe semiconductor wafer 50 into a cleaning tank CT2 and immersing thesemiconductor wafer 50 into the cleaning solution CS2 hold within thecleaning tank CT2. After the etching process, certain residues 550 maybe generated and remained on the surface of the patterned dielectriclayer 522 a or within the openings S. In certain embodiments, theresidues 550 includes polymer residues and the residues 550 are removedby the post-cleaning process. In some embodiments, the post-cleaningprocess includes supplying a third gas into the cleaning solution CS2,and the cleaning tank CT2 is equipped with a gas tube GT3 to supply thethird gas. In some embodiments, the third gas may be a clean dried air,a nitrogen gas or a carbon dioxide gas. In some embodiments, thepost-cleaning process further includes a deionized water rinsing step.

In some embodiments, the post-cleaning process removes mostly theresidues 550. In some embodiments, the cleaning solution CS2 may be amixture of a diluted hydrogen peroxide solution and an acidic solution,such as a sulfuric acid solution or a hydrochloric acid solution. Forexample, the sulfuric acid solution can be a 96 wt. % H₂SO₄ solution andthe diluted hydrogen peroxide solution can be a 30˜35 wt. % H₂O₂solution. In alternative embodiments, the cleaning solution may be asolution of deionized water for extra rinsing or cleaning.

In exemplary embodiments, the gas tubes GT1, GT2 and GT3 for thepreviously described processes may utilize the same gas tube or the gastube similar to the previously described gas tube 110, for supply thegas uniformly and continuously in a controlled way. It is appreciatedthat the process steps, the recipes of the cleaning solution(s) or theetching solution(s) or the materials described herein are simplyexemplary but are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure.The previous described semiconductor manufacturing processes areprovided for illustration purposes. The gas tube or the gas supplyelement described in the previous embodiments of this disclosure can beused or applied in front end of line processes or back end of lineprocesses of the semiconductor manufacturing processes.

In some embodiments, the gas tube or the gas supply element may beapplicable for a semiconductor manufacturing method for processing anysuitable structure including a semiconductor wafer, a die and packagestructures. For cleaning, etching or processing a wafer or anintermediate wafer-level package structure, air or gas may be suppliedthrough the gas tube or the gas supply element during the processes,leading to uniform gas flow rate and non-clogged and continuous gassupply.

In some embodiments, the gas tube or the gas supply element provides anon-clogging and uniform gas flow and functions as tube(s) to supply gasor air into the de-ionized water, cleaning solution(s), reactionsolution(s) or chemical bath(s). Through the application of the gas tubeor the gas supply element as described in the above embodiments, betterremoval of particles and polymeric residues can be achieved. Inaddition, by using the gas tube or the gas supply element in thereaction tank, consistent and unvarying reactions are offered and thereliability of the obtained products is improved.

According to some embodiments, a gas tube having a porous material bodyand a resistant sheath is described. The porous material body has ahollow tube structure and an empty cavity inside the hollow tubestructure. The porous material body is hydrophobic and has a pluralityof pores therein. The resistant sheath is disposed on the porousmaterial body and surrounds the porous material body. The resistantsheath includes a plurality of holes penetrating through the resistantsheath.

According to some embodiments, a gas supply system including a gassupply source, at least one gas tube connected with the gas supplysource, a pipe, a valve and connectors is described. The pipe isconnected with the gas supply source and connect the gas supply sourceand the at least one gas tube. The valve is located between the pipe andthe gas supply source. The connector(s) is connected to at least one endof the at least one gas tube and connects the pipe with the at least onegas tube. The gas tube has a porous material body and a resistantsheath. The porous material body has a hollow tube structure and anempty cavity inside the hollow tube structure. The porous material bodyis hydrophobic and has a plurality of pores therein. The resistantsheath is disposed on the porous material body and surrounds the porousmaterial body. The resistant sheath includes a plurality of holespenetrating through the resistant sheath.

According to some embodiments, a semiconductor manufacturing method fora semiconductor device is described. A wafer is provided. A pre-cleaningprocess is performed to the wafer by immersing the wafer into a firstclean solution in a first clean tank and supplying a first gas through afirst gas tube. A wet etching process is performed to the wafer byimmersing the wafer into an etching solution in an etching tank andsupplying a second gas through a second gas tube. A post-cleaningprocess is performed to the wafer by immersing the wafer into a secondclean solution in a second clean tank and supplying a third gas througha third gas tube. At least one of the first gas tube, the second gastube and the third gas tube is the gas supplying tube as described inthe above embodiments.

The foregoing outlines features of several embodiments so that thoseskilled in the art may better understand the aspects of the presentdisclosure. Those skilled in the art should appreciate that they mayreadily use the present disclosure as a basis for designing or modifyingother processes and structures for carrying out the same purposes and/orachieving the same advantages of the embodiments introduced herein.Those skilled in the art should also realize that such equivalentconstructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the presentdisclosure, and that they may make various changes, substitutions, andalterations herein without departing from the spirit and scope of thepresent disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A gas tube of supplying a gas, comprising: aporous material body having a hollow tube structure and an empty cavityinside the hollow tube structure, wherein the porous material body ishydrophobic and is made of a porous material with a porosity of at least50% volume per volume (% v/v) of a total volume of the porous material;and a resistant sheath, disposed on the porous material body andsurrounding the porous material body, wherein the resistant sheath has acylindrical sleeve structure wrapping around a whole circumference ofthe hollow tube structure and extending entirely along a longitudinaldirection of the hollow tube structure of the porous material body tofully cover an outer surface of the hollow tube structure with nointervening layer disposed therebetween, wherein the resistant sheath isthe outermost layer, is hydrophobic and is made of a polymeric materialand includes a plurality of holes penetrating through the resistantsheath.
 2. The element according to claim 1, wherein the porous materialbody is tightly fitted within the resistant sheath.
 3. The elementaccording to claim 2, wherein the porous material body and the resistantsheath surrounding the porous material body are tightly fittedconcentrically, and the resistant sheath contacts an outer surface ofthe porous material body.
 4. The element according to claim 1, whereinthe porosity of the porous material is about 50% volume per volume (%v/v) to about 75% v/v of a total volume of the porous material.
 5. Theelement according to claim 4, wherein the porous material includespolytetrafluoroethylene.
 6. The element according to claim 1, wherein amaterial of the resistant sheath includes polyvinylidene fluoride. 7.The element according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of holesincludes individual substantially round shaped holes arranged side byside as a row, and the plurality of holes is arranged in an upperportion of the resistant sheath.
 8. The element according to claim 1,wherein the porous material body has a plurality of pores with poresizes ranging from 0.1 microns to about 3 microns, and the plurality ofholes of the resistant sheath has a maximaum diameter of about 0.8millimeters to about 1.0 millimeter.
 9. A gas supply system forsupplying a gas, comprising: a gas supply source; at least one gas tubeconnected with the gas supply source; a pipe, connected with the gassupply source and connecting the gas supply source and the at least onegas tube; a valve, located between the pipe and the gas supply source;and at least one connector, connected to at least one end of the atleast one gas tube and connecting the pipe with the at least one gastube, and wherein the at least one gas tube comprises: a porous materialbody having a hollow tube structure and an empty cavity inside thehollow tube structure, wherein the porous material body is hydrophobicand is made of a porous material with a porosity of at least 50% volumeper volume (% v/v) of a total volume of the porous material; and aresistant sheath, disposed on the porous material body and surroundingthe porous material body, wherein the resistant sheath has a cylindricalsleeve structure wrapping around a whole circumference of the hollowtube structure and extending entirely along a longitudinal direction ofthe hollow tube structure of the porous material body to fully cover anouter surface of the hollow tube structure with no intervening layerdisposed therebetween, wherein the resistant sheath is the outermostlayer, is hydrophobic and is made of a polymeric material and includes aplurality of holes penetrating through the resistant sheath.
 10. Thesystem according to claim 9, wherein the resistant sheath is in contactwith an outer surface of the porous material body.
 11. The systemaccording to claim 9, wherein the porous material body is tightly fittedwithin the resistant sheath, and the porous material body and theresistant sheath are concentrically fitted.
 12. The system according toclaim 9, wherein the porosity of the porous material is about 50% volumeper volume (% v/v) to about 75% v/v of a total volume of the porousmaterial.
 13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the porousmaterial includes polytetrafluoroethylene.
 14. The system according toclaim 9, wherein a material of the resistant sheath includespolyvinylidene fluoride.
 15. The system according to claim 9, whereinthe plurality of holes includes individual substantially round shapedholes arranged side by side as a row, and the plurality of holes isarranged in an upper portion of the resistant sheath.
 16. The systemaccording to claim 9, wherein the porous material body has a pluralityof pores with pore sizes ranging from 0.1 microns to about 3 microns,and the plurality of holes of the resistant sheath has a maximaumdiameter of about 0.8 millimeters to about 1.0 millimeter.